Tool



H. SAUCKE May 16, 1939.

TOOL

Filed April 21. 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 v R C N flu mfim 2 A? w lw M fl 4 HM, 5 6 lh fll h40 V m. m, a 5 E32 m wggzt 2% 4 Patented May 16, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a tool and more particularly to a tool for cutting pipes, bars, rods and the like which is adapted to be used in corners or recesses Where there is not sufficient space to use a hack saw or the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a con- Venient, dependable and efi'icient tool of the above type.

Another object is to provide a tool of the above type which may be operated by a hand brace or by an electric drill.

Another object is to provide a tool of the above type which is compact and convenient to carry and use.

Various other objects and advantages will-be I apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be pointed out more particularly in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself may be better understood by referring to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the tool showing the same in position for cutting a pipe located between two closely adjacent walls;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken along the line 22 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken along the line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a broken side elevation illustrating the tool attached to an electric drill; and

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the guide used in the embodiment of Fig. 5.

In the following description and in the claims certain specific terms are used for convenience in referring to various details of the invention. These terms, however, are to be given as broad an interpretation as the state of the art will permit.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, the invention is shown in Fig. 1 as applied to a tool A for cutting a pipe Ill or the like which is mounted adjacent a wall II and between two walls i 2 which are so closely spaced as to prevent the use of a hack saw or the like therebetween. The tool comprises a housing l4 (Figs. 3 and 4) having a tubular extension l5 provided with bearings 15 and H in which a shaft 18 is journaled. The housing i4 may be made in one piece and is preferably constructed of a light metal such as aluminum. The shaft [8 carries a wheel 20 which is keyed thereto as by a key 2 I, and is rotatably held in a split adjustable bearing plate 22 which is secured to the housing l4. The bearing plate 22 may be adjusted by screws 23.

The housing [4 also carries a pair of guide rails 24 between which a frame 25 is slidably mounted. The frame 25 carries a plate 26 which extends over the guide rails 24 and holds the frame in position thereon. A link 21 is pivotally connected to the Wheel 20 and to the plate 26 for imparting oscillatory movement to the frame 25 as the wheel 20 is rotated. The link 21 is provided at one end with a pin 28 which engages a 5 recess 29 in the wheel 20. The wheel 20 is preferably formed with a plurality of such recesses 29 which are located at different distances from the center of the wheel as shown in Fig. 2 so that by inserting the pin 28 in a selected recess, the stroke of the frame 25 may be varied as desired. The plate 26 serves to hold the link 21 in position and to prevent the pin 28 thereof from being disengaged from the selected recess 28. The link 21 may be pivotally attached to the plate 26 by means of a pin 30.

The frame 25 is provided with a pair of ears 34 which extend downwardly therefrom and have outwardly inclined inner surfaces 35. Brackets 36 are attached to said ears 34 by means of set screws 31. These brackets 36 are provided at their ends with slots 40 (Fig. 3) which are adapted to receive a saw blade 4|. The blade 4| may have its ends bent to form flanges 42 for securing the same to the bracket 36. The arrangement is such that by tightening the set screws 31 the brackets 36 are caused to hold the blade 4| under tension.

A guide 45 is resiliently mounted on each side of the blade 4|. In the embodiment shown each guide 45 is provided with a recess 46 adapted to extend over the pipe l0 and secure the tool in position thereon. The sides of the recess 46 may be inclined so as to accommodate pipes of different sizes or the sides of the recess may be vertical 7 as shown in Fig. 5 if desired, in which case a different guide is required for each size of pipe with which the tool is to be used. Each guide 45 may be attached to a bracket 48 by means of screws 49. The bracket 48 may be attached to a plunger 50 which is slidably mounted in a boss 5| formed in a plate 52 which may be attached to the housing I4 by screws 53. A spring 54 may be positioned to normally hold the plunger 50 extended and the guide 45 in its lowermost po- 55 sition. The spring 54, however, is adapted to permit the guide to be retracted when pressure is applied for sawing so that the blade 4| can be advanced for cutting through the pipe ID.

The shaft I8 is adapted to be engaged by the socket 60 of the hand brace 6| of standard construction as shown in Fig. 1. It may also be engaged by the socket 62 of an electric drill as indicated in Fig. 5. In this embodiment a clamp 63 may be provided which may be attached to the housing 64 of an electric drill or the like and is also attached to the extension l5 of the housing M of the tool. The tool is similar to that above described although a single guide 65 may be used as the tool is firmly held against turning by the clamp 63. The guide 65 may be offset as shown in Fig. 6 to provide a flange 66 which may be positioned closely adjacent the blade 4|. The guide 65 thus serves to properly position the tool for cutting and is particularly adapted to be used in narrow quarters where there may not be room for two guides as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, as for example in cutting a short section of pipe between two adjacent nipples or couplings. The guide 65 is shown as provided with a recess 61 having vertical sides 68. The sides 68 may, however, be inclined as in Fig. 4 to adapt the guide to use with pipes of diflferent sizes. Of course two guides may be used if desired and either or both may be offset as shown in Fig. 6.

In the operation of this tool, the guides 45 are positioned on the pipe ID as shown in Fig. 1 and the shaft I8 is rotated either by the hand brace of Fig. 1 or by the electric drill of Fig. 5. Rotation of the shaft l8, through the wheel 20 and the link 21, causes reciprocating movement of the frame 25 and thereby causes the blade 4| to reciprocate on the pipe H]. A downward pressure is applied against the force of the springs 54 which feeds the blade 4| downwardly as the cutting progresses. It will be noted that the frame 25 is so constructed that no part thereof extends beyond the housing l4. Consequently, the tool may be used in any location where there is space to permit the insertion of the housing l4. The length of the stroke may be regulated as desired by changing the position of the pin 28 and the blade 4| may be readily replaced by first loosening the set screws 31 to release the tension of the blade and to permit it to be withdrawn from the slots 40. The tool is so constructed that a standard hack saw blade may be used.

The springs 54' hold the guides in engagement with the pipe and also serve to reduce the pressure against the saw blade. The tool may be used with a hand brace or power drill and with a straight or angular extension so as to work in spots, recesses, narrow ditches or channels or the like where standard tools cannot be used. When clamped to the frame of a power drill the tool is held rigidly by a single guide which may be located closely adjacent the blade so as to cut in narrow quarters or to cut thin slices from the end of a pipe.

The bearing plate 22, being located closely adjacent the wheel 20, causes the tool to operate without undue vibration or chattering. One offset guide and one straight guide may be mounted on the same plate 52 so as to engage the pipe or the like on one side of the blade. This permits the tool to be used for cutting a pipe near its end or near an elbow.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown for purposes of illustration, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein as will readily appear to a person skilled in the art. The invention is only to be limited in accordance with the following claims when interpreted in view of the prior art.

What is claimed is:

1. A pipe cutting tool for use with a brace or drill, said tool comprising a housing, a frame mounted for transverse movement therein and having means to support a saw blade, means including a rotating shaft for imparting reciprocating movement to said frame, said shaft being journalled in said housing and extending with its axis in the plane of said blade and normal to the cutting edge thereof, said shaft having means to be connected to said brace or drill for driving said blade and supporting said housing whereby said tool may be handled by suitable manipulation of said brace or drill, a guide having a recess to engage the pipe to be cut to position the tool and to prevent the housing from turning with said shaft during the cutting operation, said recess extending parallel to the axis of said shaft whereby the guide is automatically positioned when the saw blade is brought against said pipe by movement of said brace or drill, and resilient means mounting said guide on said housing whereby said guide is retracted by axial pressure on said shaft as the saw blade is advanced in cutting.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1 in which a pair of similar guides are provided on opposite sides of the saw blade so as to provide symmetric two-point support and guide means for the tool.

3. The invention set forth in claim 1 in which the guide is mounted on a plunger, said plunger being slidably held in said housing and being spring pressed into extended position.

4. The invention set forth in claim 1 in which clamping means is provided for clamping the housing to said brace or drill so as to form a rigid mounting for the tool.

5. The invention set forth in claim 1 in which the sides of said recess are tapered so as to cause the guide to firmly clamp the pipe and to be adaptable to pipes of different sizes.

6. The invention set forth in claim 1 in which the means to support the saw blade comprises a slot in the frame and the saw blade is provided with end flanges bent at right angles to engage the frame and position the blade therein.

HERMAN SAUCKE. 

